-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com no let up despite talk of a cease fire. bombs rain down on gaza. rackets crash into israel. now global fears of a full-scale ground war. terror at a texas parade. an 80-car train slams into a parade float full of wounded vets. now everyone wants to know why. and david petraeus on the hot seat. the now ex-cia chief heads to capitol hill this morning with members of congress demanding answers. good morning. welcome to "early start" everyone. happy friday. glad to see you. i'm john berman. >> nice to see you.

i'm zonaida sambolin. the i realsraelis pounding targets while palestinian militants continue to launch rockets into israel. israel calls up reservists in preparation for war. >> ben joins us by phone this morning. egypt's prime minister paid a visit to gaza. somehow that going so far? >> well, it was originally planned it would be a three-hour cease fire while the egyptian prime minister was making this visit to gaza. according to our sources, it doesn't appear either side significantly reduced their level of military activity in gaza. certainly before the sun came up

there was an intense air attack on gaza itself. it may have been lessened somewhat in the morning while the prime minister was touring gaza. but after he's gone, it's expected to get back to the same pace. >> there are elections coming up not too long from now in israel. palestinians are saying that may be part of the impetus for israel to be taking action. >> certainly this is what you hear oftentimes. tc it was the casame case in the 2008, 2009 offensive. they say the leaders are motivated by a desire to show they're strong on hamas. in fact, we spoke to one palestinian lawmaker who stressed the point that really this is all about politics. >> and ben, of course, one of the big concerns right now --

>> escalation was initiated by israel. there was a cease fire. there was a truce, which was violated by israel several times. unfortunately, we all don't want to have any innocent person hit or hurt, but it seems that mr. netanyahu, the prime minister of israel, decided to use israeli and palestinian blood for his election campaign. >> and certainly because there are elections planned for january of next year here in israel, it's widely expected that prime minister netanyahu will be re-elected for another term. this is the connection many palestinians are making. >> this is a delicate situation, ben. obviously all over the region, particularly for the new government in egypt. i understand there will be big demonstrations in cairo today. what are the risks right mow of egypt being drawn in fourth this conflict?

>> the chances are actually fairly small. egypt has enough problems with it is with fighting militants next to gaza. egypt says it still respects the camp david peace accord signed with israel back in the late 1970s. obviously, we can expect egyptian politicians and leaders to make as much political hay as possible over this gaza violence, but it's highly unlikely that egypt has really the wherewithal or desire to get sucked into that conflict. i know from speaking to many egyptians, they don't have an appetite for it. they may sympathize with the people of gaza, but that sympathy does not extend to an eagerness or willingness to engage or become involved militarily in that conflict. >> all right, ben. in jerusalem this morning. thanks. coming up later, soledad

will be speaking to israel's deputy foreign minister. that's in our 7:00 hour. here at home, president obama will have the four top leaders of congress over to the white house today to begin talks on avoiding the fiscal cliff, which could plunge the u.s. economy back into a recession. both side say there is room for compromise, but at the same time, it appears democrats and republicans may have dug in on their long-held positions concerning tax hikes and spending cuts. jill doherty is in our washington bureau. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> jill, both sides have said they are optimistic about a deal here. they're also not budging on some key issues. >> yeah, i mean, there is some room around the edges, but essentially, and this is the the opening gambit, of course. they're both talking about taxes. the president saying -- and revenue. the president saying that he wants more revenue from the wealthiest americans and the republicans and especially mitch mcconnell, who's the senate minority leader, he's taking a

tougher stand than even boehner. let's listen to both of those positions. >> let's be clear. an opening bid of $1.6 trillion in new taxes just isn't serious. it's more than simpson/bowles or any other bipartisan commission has called for. it's been unanimously rejected in the house and senate. it's twice as much as the white house agreed to last summer during the debt ceiling talks, and looked at in the context of the spending cuts yet to be implemented, it amounts to about 20 cents in cuts for every new dollar in tax hikes. in other words, no cuts at all. it's a joke. a joke. >> we right away say 98% of americans are not going to see their taxes go up. 97% of small businesses are not going to see their taxes go up. if we get that in place, we are actually removing half of the fiscal cliff. half of the danger to our

economy is removed by that single step. >> okay. so is it a joke, or as the democrats would say, the math isn't adding up? let's look at the issue of deficit reduction. the democrats say the -- let's say if you cut loopholes or cut deductions as republicans are saying, that doesn't add up. but the republicans are saying mr. obama does not have any mandate to raise taxes. here we are. i think you'd have to say you've got the tone now. both looking at the president, how is he going to open up, looking forward more compromise, or digging in the heels trying to parlay his re-election into something that can really push the republicans to do something that they want. >> jill, one more thing i want to talk about. it's those tax cuts. we know the president wants to put a bill up to vote that would extend the tax cuts for families earning $250,000 or less. do you expect speaker boehner is

going to go for that? >> well, probably not initially. they would, of course, want the tax cuts just to continue, but there could be some type of room after all that $250,000 for a family some might consider low for who is rich in america. there might be more flexibility in terms of pushing that to a higher number. you're not going to get that in this initial discussion, but it's a possibility later on. >> all right, jill. thank you. eight minutes after the hour. a parade honoring veterans goes horribly wrong in midland, texas. at least four people were killed when a train slammed into a float packed with veterans and their spouses yesterday. more than a dozen other people were rushed to the hospital. the circumstances that led to the crash are unclear. union pacific says the tracks lights and crossing gates were working and the train sounded

its horn before the crash. the commander in chief as consoler in chief. president obama toured hurricane sandy devastation in new york yesterday flying over ravaged neighborhoods in queens, comforting devastated homeowners in the streets on staten island and reassuring they will come back and he will also be back. >> i came up here right after the storm, was on the jersey side, and i had promised to everybody that i was speaking on behalf of the country when i said we are going to be here until the rebuilding is complete. and i meant it. so i'm going to come back today, but i'm also going to be coming back in the future to make sure that we have followed through on that commitment. >> the recovery from sandy now has a point person. president obama named sean donovan, a new yorker, who is the secretary of the department of housing and urban development, as the go-to guy. it is nine minutes past the

hour. informative but not necessarily conclusive. that's how senate and house lawmakers describe realtime video and testimony about the attack on the consulate in bengha benghazi. senators say the video combines surveillance and drone footage. a source familiar with the hearing said the video includes shots of ambassador christopher stevens being dragged out of the building. he and three other americans died in the september attack. and some of the obama administration's sharpest critics on benghazi actually skipped the briefing. among them, senator john mccain. when one of our producers questioned him about it yesterday, he got very testy. listen. >> senator mccain, listen, i understand that you did miss this briefing yesterday -- >> i have no more comment -- i have no comments about my schedule and i'm not going to comment on how i spend my time with the media. >> is there a legitimate feeling

that you're complaining about wanting more -- >> i have no comment. >> why can't you comment on that? >> because i have the right as a senator to have no comment. and who the hell are you to tell me whether i can or not? >> later, a more cheerful mccain explained what happened to piers morgan. >> it was a scheduling error. i can assure you i got all the information. >> you can tell there that mccain was a little sorry he went off as he did. our producer was ted barrett, one of the best producers and reporters in capitol hill. those questions were not at all inappropriate. 11 minutes after the hour. that hearing mccain was referring to happens just a few hours from now when david petraeus testifies before the house intelligence committee. will he shed new light into what really happened in benghazi? we'll take you live to washington next. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso.

i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? let me put you on webcan... ...lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

mmm i can still see you. try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase. former cia director david

petraeus is about to testify before a house intelligence committee. the closed-door session is set for 7:30 eastern this morning. that's one week after stepping down as director of cia. petraeus will be asked what he knows about the september 11th attack on the american consulate in benghazi. all the while, they're investigating the situation with petraeus. a source close to petraeus says he plans to clear up what he calls a lot of misrepresentations about what he told congress initially. what does that mean he's going to say? >> well, our barbara starr did some excellent reporting talking to a source close to petraeus. they said he really plans to tell lawmakers he knew almost immediately that a radical islamist group was involved. at the same time, he got a stream of intelligence, including about 20 distinct

reports, also emerging, indicating that it was all based on fear over anti-islamic video, which we heard initially from the administration. now, i can tell you i spoke to lawmakers on the intelligence committee yesterday who are still frankly annoyed as what one described as petraeus' weak presentation. >> so could these differences explain the inconsistencies in the administration's response? i guess the question is, it seems pretty contentious on the hill, based on what i've been seeing you report. will this satisfy the critics? >> you know, unclear. one thing that became clear, especially after talking to lawmakers after yesterday's intelligence briefings, which went on all day long, is it's sort of a political test. republicans came out saying that they believe that what they heard makes clear that the administration was not telling the full story and democrats came out saying that they got the answers that show the administration was giving the best information that they had based on the intelligence. you mentioned the critics.

listen to what john mccain, who's the leading critic, has been saying. >> i think it's been very clear now for quite a long time that there was no demonstration. that, of course, was the key element in what ambassador rice was saying and what the president was saying. there was not any demonstrations. i didn't have to have any secret briefing to know that. that's public knowledge. so it knocks all this story about the president not knowing and who was responsible and all that. >> now, the one thing these lawmakers can get from david petraeus they perhaps couldn't get from others is details about what happened from the ground. he was on a trip to tripoli and elsewhere in libya shortly before he resigned. that's what intelligence committee members really want to hear from him, about what he learned while he was there. >> all right. thanks. it is now 17 minutes after

the hour. time for early reads, your local news making national headlines. we're going to start with new details about general petraeus, the mistress. a new report shedding light on paula broadwell's path from homecoming queen through harvard university to the general's biographer. she first met general petraeus at harvard in this 2007. she earned a master's degree from harvard, but was asked to leave her doctoral problem. over time, she hinflated some e credentials. and in the arizona republic, the first medical marijuana dispensary has been approved to operate in the state of arizona. voters in 2010 approved the state's law to make it legal to sell and grow their own medical marijuana. it's setting up a showdown, including with the attorney

general and the controversial sheriff, joe arpaio, who are warning people they can still be prosecuted. >> that guy is in the middle of everything. >> it's a federal crime. yet, in states they're allowing people to grow it and sell it. >> it's a great unanswered legal question. 19 minutes after the hour. for an expand look at all of our top stories, head to our blog. if you think the fiscal cliff is just a washington problem, wait until you hear how you might be affect the. we're talking less money for every state. that's coming up next. hello!!!! [ all ] ohh! that is crazy! are you kidding me? let me see! oh! what! that's insane! noooo! mr. woodson? oh hello! hello! [ whistles ] hello! [ all ] hello! [ coach ] caleb, i've got someone i want you to meet. hello. [ male announcer ] at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. covering 3,000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon. rethink possible.

starts with ground beef, unions, and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. that moment you enjoy it at home. the wheels of progress haven't been very active lately. but because of business people like you, things are beginning to get rolling. and regions is here to help. making it easier with the expertise and service to keep those wheels turning. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. monarch of marketing analysis.

with the ability to improve roi through seo all by cob. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm going b-i-g. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. go national. go like a pro. who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites.

discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62% so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. what are you waiting for? this is big news.

minding your business this morning. stocks are set for another drop today, but the decline hopefully will not be big. it will be the dow's fifth drop in a row, however. >> so the big thing plaguing wall street these days, the fiscal cliff. today, new details on how the inaction in washington is going to trickle down to all of us. you know who has the details. >> state houses across the country are really looking across this math. federal money make up about one-third of state revenues. let me say that again. money from washington, d.c., your federal tax dollars, makes up about one-third of what states have to spend. many of them, i think 19 states, are already facing budget deficits. on top of that, you have the potential for big cuts for the federal funding of the grants these states get. there's no state in the union, all 50 states get federal money. all of them are facing cuts starting january 1st if we go over the fiscal cliff. let me show you a little bit.

18% of federal grants to states would be subject to the cuts. the sequester, that horrible word for a really stupid thing. overall, $7.5 billion would vanish from state coffers at a time when they're already look at billions of dollars in budget deficits. as you know, states are not like the federal government and they can just run red ink forever. they have to balance their budget. if they don't have the money, that means you're going to lose services. what kind of services? you're going to lose education services, probably all kinds of different services you're not thinking of, but you're going to see prices go up for a lot of things you use. also, things like, you know, preschool, subsidized preschools, food for the needy, food stamps. let me show you the states that would take the biggest hit as a percentage of their revenue. south dakota, 10.3% of its state revenues of federal grants are subject to sequestration. it has a big percentage of its money that comes from the federal government. illinois, georgia, texas,

tennessee. these are the state where is the largest percentage of their state revenue is subject to the sequester. >> it sounds so menacing. >> i know. i'd like to know the origination of that word. it's a pretty bad thing. everyone thinks they're going to find a solution to this. i'm not trying to be an alarmist. i'm just saying the reason we keep tells you this and talking about this every day is because this has real world consequences. if 535 people can't get their acts together, everyone is going to pay for it. that's something everyone wants to avoid. >> that's why when warren buffett said yesterday we wouldn't go into this recession, a lot of the lawmakers were like, wait a minute. it's really going to affect my state in a big way. >> tell that to somebody who's trying to get their kid in head start in georgia, texas, tennessee. i love you, warren. just saying. >> all right. thank you. it is 25 minutes after the hour. we want to go back to gaza coming up. there are real fears that israel could be mobilizing for a ground invasion. we'll go to the region coming up next. [ male announcer ] this is bob, a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat.

the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these drugs compare when warfarin is well managed. no routine blood monitoring means bob can spend his extra time however he likes. new zealand! xarelto® is just one pill a day, taken with the evening meal. and with no dietary restrictions, bob can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban

without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you. stopping may increase your risk of having a stroke. get medical help right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of bleeding, like unusual bruising or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you currently have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto®, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver or bleeding problems. ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com.

no backing down. just more bombs. is israel gearing up now for a ground war in gaza? steering clear of the fiscal cliff. president obama's drawn his line. will republicans draw theirs? both sides face to face this morning at the white house. down that long road to recovery, we're going to see the real barack obama. >> the president consoles some of the victims of hurricane sandy, but can he deliver on his promise to help? big question there. welcome back to "early start," everyone. i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin.

first, president obama and the top four congressional leader will meet at the white house to begin talks again on the fiscal cliff. that deadline now just 46 days away. the president has said he won't extend tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. for republicans, that's a nonstarter. clearly, a lot of work to do. cnn's jill doherty is following developments. she's in our washington bureau. jill, the president said he'd like to put up a bill right away to extend tax cuts for families earning less than $250,000. that doesn't seem like it'll be a go for john boehner, does it? >> no, at least at this point it doesn't. after all, the republicans want those tax cuts to continue. that's really the nub of it. how far they'll go, it's a very important meeting. this is really it. this is where the president weighs in. it's mano a mano.

the person who's taking a harder stance is mitch mcconnell. let's listen to what he says from the senate side. >> we don't happen to think the government needs more revenue. the government spends too much as it is. if democrats are willing to reduce spending and strengthen entitlement programs, which we all know are on an unsustainable path that threatens our own long-term viability and the economic well-being of our children and grandchildren, then we'll be there. what we won't do is raise tax rates. >> okay. so read the fine print. raise tax rates. now, there's a difference between raising tax rates and raising revenue, making people pay more by doing things which the republicans have suggested like, you know, capping loopholes or capping deductions, reducing deductions and that type of thing. so there is some type of room. right now, you know, you do have

the sides going in a pretty hard position. >> the president's also under some pressure from his left flank. in the debt ceiling negotiations, a lot of people forget he seemed willing to trim some entitlement programs. both senators harry reid and nancy pelosi have opposed that idea in the past. he says the president can get them to budge. >> yeah, the president essentially wants what he calls balance. either you increase revenue or you, you know, decrease the spending or you try to find some type of balance. when he gets into these democratic side, they don't want programs to be cut on the backs of, let's say, the recipients, middle class recipients. here's nancy pelosi and how she explains that. >> whatever adjustments would be made in social security should be there to strengthen social security, not to subsidize a tax cut for the wealthiest people in america and say that's how we balance the budget. the same thing with medicaid and

medicare. again, we have said we support a grand bargain. >> grand bargain. so right now, i think you'd have to say the democrats feel that after the election, they have some type of mandate. the republicans obviously don't agree, but the democrats want to strike while the iron is hot. the president certainly wants to come to a deal as quickly as possible. time really is running out. >> yeah, it really is. all right, jill. thanks very much. 33 minutes past the hour. thousands of israeli troops on the move at this hour. america's closest ally in the middle east edging closer to a full-scale war. three israelis are dead. for t the first time since the gulf war, air raid sirens are sounding in telaviv. israel striking back from the air with attacks on over 300 terror targets, as they call them. ben wedeman is in jerusalem for us this morning. he's joining us on the tone.

ben, israeli troops are mobilizing for a possible ground attack. we were reporting that yesterday. where do things stand right now? >> the latest is that the israeli army has called up 16,000 reservists in possible preparation for a ground offensive. you remember during 2008, 2009 gaza war, israel sort of softened up targets in gaza before actually sending troops inside. so it takes time to mobilize those forces to get them ready. we're hearing that the roads in israel going in the direction of gaza, there are a lot of tanks being moved, other material being moved to the area around the gaza strip. certainly, if you listen to what israeli officials say, they're definitely putting it that ground offensive is if not highly unlikely, a high probability.

this is what one said. >> hamas are the enemies of peace, not just the enemies of israel. to peace both internally on the palestinian side and between palestinians and israel. we're targeting that military infrastructure so we will be able to sit down with good people on the other side for real, constructive talks. >> and certainly, however, if you look at experience of israel and hamas over the last ten years, it has not been very successful at crippling the organization. so the possibility of palestinians and israelis sitting down after this offensive is probably wishful thinking. >> so ben, let's stay on hamas. they were democratically elected in 2006. is israel, in essence, trying to overthrow the government there? >> well, certainly what it's trying to do is cripple it, make

it so it can barely function with its leaders. as we've heard statements from israelis, officials basically saying any hamas functionary or official had better stay in hiding the next few days. on the palestinian side, for instance, i'm in jerusalem. we're expecting large demonstrations by palestinians in support. not necessarily of hamas, because it's suffered in terms of popularity in recent years, but it's more protests in solidarity with the people of gaza itself. i think if you go to gaza and ask your average person on street there whether they would vote hamas back into power, they would probably say no. the possibilities of elections at the moment down there are slim to none. >> all right, ben wedeman live in jerusalem this morning for us. thank you for that. former cia director david petraeus says the timing of his resignation has nothing to do

with the congressional investigation into the deadly raid at benghazi. he also told hln in an off-camera interview, he's not spoken to mistress paula broadwell since news of their affair broke and he never passed on classified information to her. in less than two hours, petraeus will testify before the house and senate committees. bp has agreed to pay $4.5 billion and plead guilty to criminal misconduct in the deepwater horizon disaster. u.s. attorney general eric holder said the deal doesn't end the criminal investigation into the worst ever offshore oil spill. the settlement includes a criminal fine of more than $1.25 billion, the largest in u.s. history. the company faces a possibility of more fines in the civil trial, which is set to start next february. if you pop an energy drink to get a pick-me-up, the fda just posted some eye-opening injury information about three of the most popular ones, rock star energy, monster energy, and five-hour energy shots.

the records include 13 unreleased reports about monster energy, including five reports of deaths. in 90 filings about five-hour energy, including involvement in 13 possible deaths. i'm posting this on facebook for you. 38 minutes past the hour. president obama tells sandy victims he has their backs. the question for thousands of new yorkers still without power this morning is, will the president keep his word? wants . and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. buy now. save later.

since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪

sven's home security gets the most rewards

of any small business credit card! how does this thing work? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that's ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? here's your invoice. welcome back to "early start." it's 41 minutes past the hour. residents of storm-ravaged staten island getting face time with president obama. the president surveyed all the damage and visited with victims of superstorm sandy. this was all yesterday. he promised to stick with them until the rebuilding is complete. he said he would return. nearly three weeks after sandy,

thousands of new york houses are still without power. people who met president obama yesterday on staten island, they're hoping it was more than just a photo op. cnn's mary snow spoke to one couple. >> reporter: nick's mission now is keeping the heat on in his family's staten island house, paying little notice as his community readied for a visit from the president to view the damage to one of sandy's hardest hit areas. he's more concerned with working on the boiler he was able to rig up to provide heat. >> you put a generator into your bedroom with an electric oil heat. it's not enough heat to survive. it's -- you know, can i have left the house and went into a hotel? they wanted to give us something somewhere in jersey. you can't walk away from your house. >> reporter: cnn first caught up with the family last week as nick described his harrowing

experience. >> i went through the most pain i ever went through in my whole life from being electrocuted trying to get back into my house to watching all my possessions and my family practically almost dying. >> reporter: since then, they have been getting offers of help. to get through each day, they rely on friends and relatives who have been delivering gasoline for the generator. they plan to rebuild, but they say the $19,000 they've been told they can get in government aid won't be enough and feared the president wouldn't see how bad the damage really is. >> everything's all cleaned up. the streets, you know, look pretty. it wasn't pretty like this. up until the last two days, they cleaned up now because the president is coming down to see the progress that was made down here. >> reporter: as the president arrived, nick and diane decided to try and see if they could reach him. they stood in a small crowd

waiting, and they were able to speak with the president. >> my commitment to you is i'm going stay on it. i'm not going to be a stranger and forget about it. >> does it change anything for you? >> we're going to see. >> i guess we'll see. >> we'll see down the road. down the road, there's always a road to recovery. you know, down that long road to recovery we're going to see the real barack obama, you know, his true colors. >> reporter: with a little more hope, they head back to what's left of their home. their home still has no electricity, and they learned of another potential setback. the gas lines may be shut down while repairs are made, leaving them in the cold once again. mary snow, cnn, staten island, new york. shlg >> our thanks to mary. take a look at this dramatic new video. it shows the devastating flooding caused by superstorm sandy. this is video of two new jersey path train stations completely under water.

my goodness. one is in jersey city. the other in hoboken. service at both stations, as you can imagine, remains suspended nearly three weeks after the storm. look at the water pour in there. nearly all the equipment for signaling and all the train equipment just completely damaged or destroyed. >> that's horrific. >> it really is. now, get this. there's an east coast storm brewing just in time for thanksgiving travel. >> say it ain't so. >> no. meteorologist alexander steele joins us now from the cnn weather center. who's going to be affected by this? us? >> no, this is the good news. for the last four days or so, five days, we've been watching this potential east coast storm develop for the thanksgiving week. now it looks like all computer models showing it's going to stay well off shore. the only thing we'll deal with, maybe through the carolinas, some winds and onshore flow. that is the good news. that looks like it's a nonplayer for next week. this is just an area of low pressure. it's a little bit of rain around in the morning hours.

most of this is emanating from the sky but not hitting the ground. the bigger story, the toughest travel through this weekend and thanksgiving week will be here in the pacific northwest and on the west coast. all the way from washington to california. kind of a barrage of storms moving in. that's where the trickiest travel will be for the next five days or so. big picture today, you're dry in the northeast. sunny and cool. southeast, as well. there's the west with those storms beginning to come on in through today, through the weekend, and into next week. temperature-wise, kind of right where we should be for the most part. maybe a degree or so cooler. if you guys are into the meteor shower, after midnight tonight between 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning, look toward the sky where the constellation leo is. it will be a pretty cool night to look up and see it. >> very nice. >> that sounds awesome. plus, we're up at that time

anyway. >> all right, alexander steele. thank you so much. 46 minutes after the hour. congressman ron paul bids a no-so-fond farewell to washington after 36 long, long years. hear his parting shot to both sides of the aisle coming up next. if you think running a restaurant is hard, try running four. fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase. and this is the nokia lumia 920 from at&t. it's got live tiles so all my stuff's always right there in real-time. it's like the ultimate personal assistant. but i'm me, and me needs handlers. so i hired todd to handle it for me. todd, gimme that hollywood news! what's happening on twitter? you're trending! yes! i like you todd.

i don't like todd because he's quitting. but now i'm hiring a new todd and it could be you. [ male announcer ] go to workforwill.com and try live tiles, that deliver what you want in real time. only from at&t. rethink possible.

so i brought it to mike at meineke. we gave her car a free road handling check. i like free. free is good. my money. my choice. my meineke.

50 minutes after the hour right now. a lot going on. here's christine romans with the headlines. >> this morning, violence

escalating between israel and palestinian militants. the israelis shelled hundreds of terror targets with artillery strikes. three israelis and 19 palestinians have been killed so far. a parade honoring veterans goes terribly wrong in midland, texas. a train slammed into a float packed with veterans their spouses yesterday. in less than two hours, former cia director david petraeus is expected to testify behind closed doors about deadly raid on the u.s. consulate in benghaz benghazi. he's expected to tell members of the house and senate intelligence committees that he knew almost immediately the work was the result of a terrorist group. texas congressman ron paul gives what is likely his final speech in front of congress in a 48-minute speech.

the republican, who leans libertarian, slammed both parties, saying they're leading the country in the wrong direction. >> the financial crisis is actually a moral crisis. many are acknowledging that a financial crisis looms, but few understand it's in reality a moral crisis. it's the moral crisis that has allowed our liberties to be undermined and permits the exponential growth of illegal government power. >> paul is stepping down from his seat in congress at end of the year. maybe it's an understatement to say he leans libertarian. >> they should let him into the republican debates four years from now. grandfather him in. >> when i was covering all those debates, the young people on college campuses who loved ron paul was amazing to me. the young -- the paul group was always the most vocal and our dentd, i would say. >> all right. thank you, christine. it is 52 minutes past the hour. up next, kim jong-un versus channing tatum. the race is on. we'll explain.

[ lane ] your anti-wrinkle cream is gone... but what about your wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®. to provide a better benefits package... oahhh! [ male announcer ] it made a big splash with the employees. [ duck yelling ] [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. ♪ ha ha!

♪ the wheels of progress. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you. and regions is here to help. with the experience and service to keep things rolling. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together.

welcome back, everyone. it's 56 minutes after the hour. i'm john berman. that's zoraida sambolin. we're looking at the top cnn trends on the internet. >> this is something you should participate on. pants on fire, the annual world's biggest liar competition under way in england. >> let me get this straight. that would mean that you lied about your age to make yourself older. but why would any woman want to do that? >> i changed it so i could get married. >> and the truth shall set you

free! >> so that was a clip from the movie "liar, liar" where jim carey played a lawyer, which is fitting. lawyers and politicians are banned from the competition for having a, quote, unfair advantage. each contestant is given up to five minutes to weave the best fib in the contest. >> how do you like that? all right. move over, people. "the onion" has named its sexiest man alive. drum roll, please. it's kim jong-un. he's officially been named the newspaper's sexiest man. you're looking at him side by side with channing tatum, who won the "people" magazine award. kim, with he is devastatingly handsome looks, round, boyish face, charm, and strong, sturdy frame. they also said he's ever woman's dream come true. plus, he has a cuddly side. >> he does.

>> to check out the other top cnn trends, head to our blog. so president obama winning with gifts, an ode to turkey day, and the petraeus scandal. >> it's all in this episode of "late night laughs." >> how on earth did mitt romney find out about the extraordinary bag of gifts that we got? there's something for everybody in this. what did obama give us? oh, bag of weed. that is nice. we've got food stamp cozy. contraception variety pack. >> thanksgiving just a week away, yeah. thanksgiving going to be a little different this year in los angeles. you know, since that proposition "b" passed last week, porn stars will now be required to wear condoms while stuffing the

turkey. >> chris christie loves thanksgiving. he calls it "the show." they have the macy's big balloon parade. they have new balloons for the kids. they have elf on the shelf. that will be big. who wants to stand in sub-zero weather and sleep looking at elf on the shelf. how about papa smurf, ladies and gentlemen? how about the shirtless fbi agent? he'll be there. >> they're calling this the first national security scandal that involves the cia, fbi, omg, and wtf. >> all right. "early start" continues right now. no let up despite talk of a cease fire. bombs rain down on gaza. rockets crash into israel. now global fears of a full-scale ground war. david petraeus in the hot seat. the ex-cia chief heads to capitol hill this morning with members of congress demanding answers. and steering clear of the

fiscal cliff. president obama's drawn his line. will republicans now draw theirs? both sides faceface-to-face thi morning at the white house. good morning, everyone, welcome to "early start" i'm john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. let's get started. a summit on the nation's looming fiscal cliff begins in just a few hours from now. president obama, and four top congressional leaders will meet at the white house for talks. that raises the curtain on a six-week push to beat a january 1st deadline. if no deal is reached by then, $500 billion in tax increases and spending cuts simply start taking effect. cnn's jill dougherty is live in our washington bureau. boehner has said he is open to discussing revenue increases that don't involve racing tax rates. tax rates. but that is something many other gop house members have vigorously opposed. is there a sense that the tide may be turning at this point? >> well, at this point, i would -- i think you'd have to

say that this is their opening gambit. it is pretty locked in at this point. but there is some type of flexibility, especially on whether or not let's say the cutting loopholes, they would say, the republicans would say, you should do that. or you should have deductions. i should say cut deductions. the democrats say that doesn't add up at all. but let's look at what mitch mcconnell says, who's taking a harder line on all of this. >> we don't happen to think the government needs more revenue. the government spends too much as it is. but if democrats are willing to reduce spending and shrink on entitlement programs, which we all know are on an unsustainable path that threatens our own long-term viability, and the economic well-being of our children and grandchildren, then we'll be there. what we won't do is raise tax rates. >> tax rates. and again, that's really the issue. can you do it in another way?

don't raise tax rates but raise effectively how much people actually pay in taxes, especially president obama would argue the rich. >> president obama has said he is open to cutting spending on entitlement programs but both senator harry reid and representative nancy pelosi have opposed that in the past. any chance that they're going to change? >> it's very difficult for the democrats to really want to change at this point, because that's one of the key things. they don't want cutbacks on any type of programs that help the middle class. and you hear that very strongly coming from nancy pelosi. >> whenever adjustments will be made in social security to strengthen social security not to subsidize a tax cut for the wealthiest people in america and say that's how we balance the budget. the same thing with medicaid and medicare. but again we have said we support a grand bargain. >> and the grand bargain, that's

what the president continues to talk about. something balanced. and he's really the man that they're paying attention to today. he is the person who will set the tone, and it's a very important meeting, as you can imagine. >> all right, jail doherty, thanks very much. one week after resigning former cia director david petraeus is preparing to testify before a house intelligence committee. the closed-door hearing begins at 7:30 eastern this morning. petraeus will be asked what he knows about the deadly september 11th attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. all while the cia is launching an investigation into his conduct while he headed up the agency. senior congressional correspondent dana bash who never sleeps live from washington this morning. what do we expect david petraeus to say, dana? >> well, our barbara starr got some great information from a source close to petraeus who says that he's going to tell lawmakers that he knew almost immediately that ansar al sharia which is a loosely connected radical islamist group was involved. but at the same time he saw a

string of intelligence, including about 20 reports, that indicated that there was some brewing furor over that anti-islamic video that preceded the attack. but the only briefing that petraeus did for lawmakers on the intelligence committee back in september, after that attack in libya, he apparently left the impression that they still believe it's the more likely scenario, was that violence sparked this demonstration. and, john, i talked to some lawmakers yesterday who are still quite annoyed. one described petraeus' presentation at the time as weak. so you can be sure he's going to hear about that today. >> we also know the cia is going to be continuing its investigation into petraeus and his affair with paula broadwell. what are they hoping to find out at this point? >> at this point, the cia investigation includes whether he used cia resources to carry out his affair with paula broadwell. now, one of the reasons that lawmakers have been so outraged about the petraeus affair in not being informed about it is because they're concerned that there was national security

risk. well, the attorney general insists there wasn't. listen. >> we felt very secure in the knowledge that a national security threat did not exist, that warranted the sharing of that information with the white house or with the hill. but when we got to a point in the investigation, it was very late in the investigation, after a very critical interview occurred on the friday before we made that disclosure, when we got to that point, where we thought it was appropriate to, to share the information, we did so. >> we shouldunder score that today's briefing, both for the house and senate intelligence committees,ry are going to start in a little more than an hour are supposed to really just be on benghazi, what the former director knows, based on the trip that he took to libya and other -- and other information that he had. it's going to be hard to imagine that there won't be some questions that will at least try to get to, if not -- if nothing

else, the question of whether or not there was anything leaked inadvertently or otherwise to paula broadwell. >> dana, you've been covering these hearings now for over -- well, since they began. and you know the rules on both sides of the aisle. is there anything david petraeus can say about benghazi that will bring these two sides together? because it just seems so contentious right now. >> i think if there's anybody that can do it, it would be david petraeus. yes, obviously his reputationed is sullied and no longer the cia director. but he still, in terms of the substance of his work, commands more respect than just about anybody. so, particularly because he gave a presentation that led the lawmakers, and outlawed the unclassified version did the same, to believe that it was much more likely that this attack was sparked by these demonstrations based on the video, if he explains why that was, and that there were these two streams of information coming to them, that probably

will be -- he has the best shot at doing it than anybody else. because right now, it's a political rorschach test. the democrats coming out saying, ah-ha, you see the administration was right to be cautious. and republicans saying, based on what i'm hearing in here the administration simply went off on a tangent that they shouldn't have. >> all right, dana bash in washington. thanks for being with us this morning. you'll be covering it all day again, i'm sure. >> we were talking about this earlier. i asked you if you watched on anderson cooper, it was representative king was on there and adam schiff and they were in the exact same hearing and two very different stories. and that's what they were fighting about. very contentious. so at the end of the day, it's like it doesn't matter. same information and the way that you digest it very differently. so we expect more fighting to happen. seven minutes past the hour. a parade honoring veterans goes horribly wrong. this is midland, texas. at least four people were killed. a train slammed into a float packed with veterans and their spouses yesterday. more than a dozen other people were rushed to the hospital, as

well. the circumstances that led to that horrific crash are unclear. union pacific says the track's lights and crossing gates were working at the time, and that the train sounded its horn right before the crash, as well. the commander in chief, consoler in chief. president obama toured hurricane sandy devastation in new york yesterday. flying over the ravaged neighborhoods in queens, comforting devastated homeowners in the streets on staten island. and reassuring them that they will come back, and that he will also be back. >> i came up here right after the storm, was on the jersey side, and i had promised to everybody that i was speaking on behalf of the country when i said we are going to be here until the rebuilding is complete. and i meant it. so i'm going to come back today but i'm also going to be coming

back in the future to make sure that we have followed through on that commitment. >> the recovery from sandy now has a point person, as well. president obama named sean donovan, a new yorker who is a secretary of the department of housing and urban development. he is now the go-to guy. >> there is a lot going on in the middle east this morning, flaring violence in gaza. we will return to gaza coming up because there are real fears this morning that israel could be mobilizing for a ground invasion. we will go live to the region, next. ♪

[ gordon ] for some this line is a convenience. how you doing today? i'm good thanks. how are you? i'm good. [ gordon ] but for others, it's all they can afford. every day nearly nine million older americans don't have enough to eat. anything else? no, not today. join me, aarp, and aarp foundation in the drive to end hunger by visiting drivetoendhunger.org. thor's couture gets the most rewards of any small business credit card. your boa! [ garth ] thor's small business earns double miles on every purchase, every day! ahh, the new fabrics, put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? the spiked heels are working. wait! [ garth ] great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? [ cheers and applause ] what's in your wallet? trying to find a better job can be frustrating.

so at university of phoenix we're working with a growing list of almost two thousand corporate partners - companies like microsoft, american red cross and adobe - to create options for you. not only that, we're using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum. so that when you find the job you want you'll be a perfect fit. let's get to work.

get selsun blue for itchy dry scalp. strong itch-fighters target scalp itch while 5 moisturizers leave hair healthy. selsun blue. got a clue? get the blue. 12 minutes past the hour. america's closest ally in the middle east is edging closer to a full-scale war this morning. thousands of israelly troops are mobilizing at this hour, and for

the first time since the gulf war, that was in 1991, air raid sirens are sounding in tel aviv. >> palestinian militants in gaza launching hundreds of rockets into israeli territory for a second straight night. israel, striking back from the air with attacks on over 300 what they're calling terror targets. ben wedeman is live in jerusalem this morning. ben, we're hearing there are protests happening right now in jerusalem. you are in jerusalem. what are the details on these protests? >> the israeli police were bracing for protest in solidarity by palestinians with the people of gaza. our understanding is there have already been some small clashes between the police and palestinian protesters, in some cases they've been throwing rocks at the police. the police responding, at least by the sound of it, from here, either with stun grenades or tear gas. in some cases, some fisticuffs were exchanged. but this was really to be expected. now, today is friday.

a day of prayer for muslims in jerusalem and elsewhere. but it was expected it would be a day of protest. so the israeli police basically put a limit, anybody over the age of 40 will not be allowed into this compound behind me. the temple mount. what they were trying to do is really just to keep the numbers down in jerusalem from going in to the mosque. but it appears that protests are already going ahead. we're expecting other protests elsewhere in the west bank. one palestinian legislator mustafa bar beauty saying this is a time for palestinians to raise their voices. >> this was to stop israel attacking not hamas, israel attacking gaza. israel attacking because we were protesting peacefully and nonviolently. this israeli government is not a government of peace. it's a government of war. and their behavior is killing the very opportunity of peace

based on two-state solution. >> and certainly any talk of the two-state solution or diplomacy at the moment is really on the back burner. it's really the generals, and the politicians calling the shots. and they are shots. >> ben, i've been in the region for a couple of these cycles of escalating violence. once they start it really seems just really nothing that can stop them. i mean israel now calling up ground troops, we're understanding, reservists in preparation possibly for some kind of invasion. do you think that's a possibility of having ground troops in gaza soon? >> it's certainly a possibility. if someone reminisces of the israeli offensive against gaza in late 2008, early 2002009. it began with several days of intense air strikes on hamas targets around -- the gaza strip, as those forces concentrated around gaza, and eventually went in. now what's interesting is that what we're hearing from israeli officials, that they're not talking simply about a limited

operation that somehow cripple hamas' military ability. they're also talking about the possibility of what amounts to regime change. here's what one israeli official had to say. >> hamas are the enemies of faith, not just the enemies of israel, enemies of peace, regional stability in the region and to peace both internally on the palestinian side and between palestinians and israel. so we are targeting that military infrastructure so we will be able to sit down with good people on the other side, for real, constructive talks. >> and it's hard to say, however, where those good people are going to come from. oftentimes, after these offensives, it's the militants who are actually strengthened politically by these israeli incursions into gaza. not, really, the moderates. >> all right, ben wedeman live in jerusalem this morning. a lot of questions about this.

coming up later in the next hour, soledad o'brien will be talking to israel's deputy foreign minister. be sure to catch that interview in our 7:00 hour. it is now 16 minutes after the hour. want to get you caught up on all the headlines. here's christine romans. >> a lot happening this friday. as the fiscal cliff inches closer, president obama and vice president biden have brought to the table. informative but not necessarily conclusive. that's how senate and house lawmakers describe realtime video and testimony about the attack on the consulate in benghazi. senators say the video combines surveillance and drone footage, and a source familiar with the house committee hearing said the video includes shots of ambassador christopher stevens being dragged out of the building. he, and three other americans, died in that september attack. a major political shake-up in japan.

the country's prime minister dissolved the lower house of parliament, setting the stage for general elections next month. the move is part of a deal between japan's two main political parties, a move that helps the government avoid a financial crunch, and continue financing itself. bp agrees to pay $4.5 billion and pleads guilty to criminal misconduct in the deepwater horizon disaster. but attorney general eric holder says the deal doesn't end the criminal investigation into the worst-ever offshore oil spill. the settlement includes a criminal fine of more than $1.25 billion. that is the largest in u.s. history. the company faces the possibility of more fines in its civil trial, which is set to start next february. >> all right, thank you, christine. 18 minutes past the hour. they say that twinkies can actually last forever. but the company that makes them might not last that long. up next a baker's strike that could turn the ovens off at hostess. >> no! >> depressing. since ameriprise l was founded back in 1894,

they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪

we are minding your business this morning. we're expecting another down day on wall street. analysts say the trend for the markets is going to be down until washington puts together a deal on that fiscal cliff. >> and we're following another showdown, a really serious one. this one has to do with twinkies. hostess threatening to close its doors if its workers don't return to work. and christine romans has all the details. >> it is serious if you like

twinkies. but it's really serious if you're one of the 18,000 workers who have already been through this company that's gone through bankruptcy, it's still in bankruptcy, and who have already taken like big cuts to your pension contributions and stuff. hostess gave its bakers an ultimatum. get back to work by 5:00 p.m. yesterday or we're just going to close our doors. we're requesting to liquidate the company. we're not going to play the games anymore. deadline passed. no deal. now we're waiting to hear from hostess whether it will make good on its threat. hostess is controlled by hedge funds, by the way, in its most recent bankruptcy it ration. the company is trying to force pay and pension cuts on its workers. the workers said no more of this. they went on strike last week. not all of them, though, just the baker's union. that's 5,000 people. 30% of hostess workforce. hostess says it doesn't have the money to survive an ongoing strike. bakers say the cuts are outrageous. a liquid igs would mean it would close all 33 plants laying off

all 18,000 workers. would twinkie go away? probably not. in liquidation, other companies would probably swoop in and buy those brands. i think those brands would survive. i think those workers would not. and you've got this real standoff between, you know, the financiers who run the company and the bakers union that say we've already taken enough hits. >> there you go. there's another deadline looming on obama care. >> it's been extended. this is so interesting. you had some republican governors who were saying they didn't want to file -- they didn't want to set up the state health care exchanges or they were waiting to decide until the outcome of the election. they were hoping mitt romney had win and he had said he would repeal obama care. the president won, the state exchanges must be up and running by 2014. the deadline was today for states to declare that they were going to get those going and now the hhs, the health and human services administration has said, you have another month to decide. you have another month to decide to put that off. you see, you've got to have an

online marketplace to make health care affordable that's open in 2014. it's all laid out in the affordable care act. the cbo, congressional budget office, says the state health exchanges will cover 25 million people with insurance. you will get subsidies. >> the state doesn't do it. the federal government will come in and do it for them. >> right. >> which the states have to decide which way they'd rather have it. >> they'll lose some revenue. i think there's some financial incentives for them to -- >> -- act to the and get it done by the deadline. >> political. >> that's insane. >> that is the story of the world. >> what's the one thing we need to know about our money? >> remember yesterday i was telling you about the bright signs in the housing market. more write signs. 30-year sixed rates 3.34%. i can't even believe these numbers come out of my mouth every week. last year it was 4%. we thought that was great last year. 2.65% on the 15-year fixed. now rates are falling because, you know, investors are worried

about the economy. just throwing money in the bond market and out of the stock market. that's why you've got rates falling so much. banks keeping rates very, very low. those rates are so low you might have to look and see if it's time -- you might have to go and refinance again. >> can you send out a calculation of when it is advantageous to you. >> usually when it's three quarters of a point or a point. somebody asked me yesterday i'm going to sell my house in a year should i refinance now. no, absolutely not. and i said my rate is 6.2%. i said why do you have a 6.2% rate? that's too high. >> christine, thank you. >> there's been no letup despite the talk of a cease-fire this morning in the middle east. bombs raining down on gaza, rockets crashing into israel. could we see signs of a ground invasion? we're going to take you live to jerusalem coming up next. campbs that will make it drop over, and over again. ♪ from jammin' jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. see what's new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

(child screaming underwater).... (underwater noises). is what drives us to broadcast the world's biggest events in 3d, or live to your seat high above the atlantic ocean. it's what drives us to create eco-friendly race tracks, batteries that power tomorrow's cars, nearly indestructible laptops, and the sustainable smart towns of the future. at panasonic, we're driven to make what matters most better. just another way we're engineering a better world for you.

but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. two. three. my credit card rewards are easy to remember. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. [ both ] 2% back on groceries. [ all ] 3% on gas! no hoops to jump through. i earn more cash back on the things i buy most. [ woman in pet store ] it's as easy as... [ all ] one! -two. -[ all ] three! [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. ♪

♪ we're lucky, it's not every day you find a companion as loyal as a subaru. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priority mail flat rate boxes. online pricing starts at $5.15. only from the postal service. no backing down, just more

bombs. is israel gearing up for a ground war in gaza? plus he's been out of sight but not today. ex-cia director david petraeus set to testify on capitol hill in just a few hours. so we were standing here while the place was filling up, the water would come up to our neck? >> it would almost cover your head and come up to my neck. >> wow. the manhattan medical center washed out by hurricane sandy, where sick babies were rushed down the stairs. remember that? now making a comeback. cnn takes you inside the extraordinary cleanup. >> welcome back to "early start" everyone, i'm john derman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. >> in the next hour, former cia director general david petraeus will be on capitol hill to testify about the attacks on the consulate in benghazi. sources tell our barbara starr that petraeus wants to clear up a lot of misrepresentations of what he told congress initially and that you saw then two streams of intelligence about the attacks.

the intelligence hearings will take place behind closed doors. it will be the first time the former cia director will speak to government officials since his shocking resignation last week over an extramarital affair with his biographer. some republicans have actually suggested his departure was linked to what he knew about the attacks that killed four americans, including the u.s. ambassador to libya. i'm joined by congressman, chairman of the terrorism subcommittee which held its own hearing on benghazi on tuesday. congressman royce do you think there's any truth to the idea that general petraeus quit the cia because of the ben zbauzdy situation? >> i think the reason general petraeus wants to testify is because, as he said, he knew almost instantaneously, that this was an attack linked to al qaeda. and i think he's trying to clear the record of the central

intelligence agency on this. i don't think it should be any surprise to those of us monitoring the situation given the attack in june on the mission and giving the training by cia affiliates, or given the fact that our cia was watching al qaeda in that area, that that was an al qaeda attack on 9/11. >> so, congressman, our barbara starr tells us that what the general wants to do, what david petraeus wants to do, is clear up his testimony from september 14th, when he may have been unclear about the cause of the attack. barbara starr tells us that petraeus is staying that he knew almost immediately that ansar al sharia, a terrorist group, was responsib responsible. but he was also seeing separate streams of intelligence that did suggest that protests over that video we've all talked about were involved. how do you hope the general clears this up? what do you need to hear from him here? >> well, i think we know the answer to this. because we have the films. and the films do not show any protests whatsoever. what, in fact, did occur, was

the same the same attack that our ambassador there feared. what happened was that those al qaeda affiliates that he had requested support and security personnel to help defend against, did, indeed, attack the compound. so i believe what will come out of this is a much more clear understanding of how in preparation for this attack our personnel on the ground made repeated requests. and i think the other aspect that we're going to learn more about is why a firefight that lasted six hours occurred without reinforcements coming in from tripoli. why the rapid reaction force was removed from the theater of operations several months prior. and why we lost those personnel on the ground.

i think for us that's what's important. because al qaeda has a modus operandi of attacking the targets, attack iing again and again. they did that on 9/11. they have a pattern of behavior of hitting the same targets. now we've opened up our consul e9s and embassies overseas as a target, as a result of not being prepared here. not having contingency plans here. and especially not coming to the aid of our personnel while they were under attack. >> congressman it seems like some of your colleagues may have different motives for these hearings or at least want to address slightly different issues. i want to play you a found bite from congressman dana rohrabacher. >> what is clear is that this administration, including the president himself, has intentionally misinformed, read that lied, to the american people in the aftermath of this tragedy.

>> what you were discussing a second ago was a mess surrounding a foreign isy dent where actions weren't taken that should have been taken. what congressman rohrabacher is accusing there is flat-out dishonesty. do you agree with him? >> well, here's the problem. when you become wedded to a certain mind-set, and let's say that mind-set is that the problems in the world are because there's protests against america, or there's protests against a video, and you begin to advance that, and you begin to pressure agencies and the federal government to advance that theory, what if you're wrong? what if, in fact, things are exactly as they seem, and it is an al qaeda attack just as suspected by our personnel on the ground, and as witnessed by our own central intelligence agencies there. >> sir -- wrong is one thing. lying is another. you have clearly stated that things went wrong. it's pretty obvious at this point a lot went wrong --

>> let me explain -- >> rohrabacher is saying lying. >> i'm explaining when you have a mind-set and you're wedded to that video, you're wedded to a certain scenario that you cling to for weeks, so much so that you take your u.n. ambassador, whose task is not to explain national security, and you put her out in front of the media, and you give her talking points, which, according to our chairman of the intelligence committee, were not the same talking points that were received by the central intelligence agency. now, we need to get to the bottom of all of this. as senator feinstein has said, you know, this is the opening of a process of fact finding. we need to find out how this happened. what if, indeed, a certain scenario was laid out and the administration and the president himself stuck to that line of arguments, day after day after

day in the face of evidence, and in the face of a video that the white house resumebly would have watched, then there's very real question as to why would you maintain that line of argument in the face of the facts. >> all right, congressman ed royce, thanks for joining us this morning. >> thank you very much. the violence in gaza escalating overnight, leaving israel on the brink of a full-scale ground war with hamas. the israelis shelling more than 300 terror targets, as they're calling them, with air strikes and heavy artillery overnight. bombs are still pounding gaza, as officials talk of a brief cease-fire with each of the prime ministers on the ground in gaza this morning. but palestinian militants launched hundreds of rockets into israeli territory for a second straight day, at least two of them striking tel aviv. israel is now calling up thousands of reservists, they're saying in preparation for war. ben wedeman joins us from jerusalem. he is on the phone. ben we understand there are

protests that are happening right now. maybe you're in the middle of them. what can you tell us about that? >> there are limited protests around jerusalem. i'm at the damascus gate, one of the entrances to the predominantly palestinian old city, where several hundred palestinian protesters, including older women, are haranguing and shouting and chanting against the israeli police here. i'm seeing some bottles are being thrown, but it's still relatively calm compared to what could happen here. one protest of many going on, not just around jerusalem, but also in the west bank, as well. >> ben, israel is now calling up thousands of reservisreservists presumably in preparation for war. could we see ground troops move into gaza any time soon, do you think? >> certainly very good possibility. they called up 16,000

reservists, there are apparently tanks on the move. other equipment and heavy armor heading for gaza. very similar to what we saw in 2008-2009, the last time there was a major outbreak of fighting between gaza and israel. and therefore, yes, definitely from what we're hearing from israeli officials, and from others, it does appear that they are preparing, not necessarily that they've taken a final decision for a major ground assault inside gaza itself. >> and, ben, what could you tell us about that brief cease-fire with egypt's prime minister on the ground in gaza? >> that was about just three hours long. what the israelis said was it was hamas didn't fire any rockets or other militants, fire any rockets from gaza. israel will not accept any aberrations. our understanding is rockets were fired from gaza into israel, and aircraft were active over gaza during that brief

visit by the egyptian prime minister. >> all right, ben wedeman live from jerusalem. thank you. 39 minutes after the hour right now. next on "early start," it was one of the most heart-wrenching images from superstorm sandy. the evacuation of newborn babies from nyu langone medical center. an exclusive look inside the facility to survey the damage. ie with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. i have a cold... i took dayquil, but i still have a runny nose. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't work on runny noses. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have an antihistamine. really? [ male announcer ] really. alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a fast acting antihistamine to relieve your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪

[ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook. why should saturday nightlearn have all the fun?old truth get two times the points on dining in restaurants, with chase sapphire preferred.

it is friday. soledad is here for a look at what's ahead on "starting point." >> welcome, everybody. ahead this morning on "starting point" we've been talking a lot about the violence that's been escalating between israel and hamas and secretary leon panetta

spoke to the israeli defense minister ehud barak. we're going to talk about what they talked about. and we'll talk with the israeli deputy foreign minister danny eyalen about exactly what was discussed and where this conflict goes from here. talks in washington, d.c. on the fiscal cliff. we'll talk with connie mack, alabama senator jeff sessions and take a look at what could happen in any kind of a friday compromise. plus actress jada pinkett smith will join us to talk about her continuing fight against human trafficking. she's trying to help 27 million victims worldwide. and denzel washington has a new movie. this looks so awesome. we're going to talk to his co-star the actress kelly reilly that and much more at the top of the hour. >> you know i saw that film the other day. it was fantastic. but if you are scared of flying, don't go see the movie. that would be my suggestion. >> fill me in on the commercial break. >> 44 minutes, thank you,

soledad. 44 minutes past the hour. one of the most compelling images that emerged from superstorm sandy. the evacuation of newborns from nyu langone medical center. hospital staff carried the infants down flight after flight of stairs because of all the massive flooding. now an extensive cleanup operation is under way and cnn is the first network allowed inside to survey the devastation. here's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. >> after the rain fell, and the river overflowed into nyu langone medical center, this is what was left. a hospital ruined by more than 10 million gallons of floodwater. now, two weeks later, richard cohen is my guide to see the damage. so we're in the cellar right now? >> we're at the lowest portion of the building. >> down here, the filthy river water went up to the ceiling. it's been pumped out but it still smells bad so we have to wear masks. >> this was an mri suite.

unfortunately they were all flooded. >> oh, my gosh. how expensive is that machine? >> probably several million dollars. >> and kaput? >> this is kaput. >> the water continued rising up to the first floor. this lecture hall became a swimming pool. so we were standing here while the place was filling up the water would come up to our necks? >> it would almost cover your head and would come up to my neck. >> i'd be under water? >> almost. >> tim langone the medical center's chairman of the board was there that night, as a patient. >> on the 11th floor. >> how did you get down? >> i walked. >> and you were suffering from pneumonia. >> they said we're evacuating. i said fine and i got up to brush my teeth. put my clothes on, i said let's go. >> 322 patients were evacuated. now this once busy emergency room is empty. >> this place took a hell of a hit.

>> nyu langone has brought in hundreds of cleanup workers. some with specialized skills from around the country. hot air in these tubes is drying out the ceilings, floors and walls. cleanup is 24/7. expected to cost around $700 million. people's lives were saved in this room. and now it sits idle. how does that feel to you? >> well, it feels like i can't wait for it to start saving lives again. >> reporter: elizabeth cohen, cnn, new york. >> you have to take a look at this dramatic video just released by new jersey and new york port authority showing the devastating flooding caused by superstorm sandy. this is two new jersey path train stations under water in jersey city and hoboken. service at both stations remains suspended nearly three weeks after the storm with nearly all the ee equipment for signaling and train equipment damaged or destroyed. look at that. >> you wonder how long it's going to be before they can reopen that. >> congressman ron paul bids a

not so fond farewell to washington after 36 long years. you ought to hear his parting shots at both sides of the aisle coming up.

welcome back, everyone. 51 minutes after the hour. we want to get you up to date on all the headlines right now. america's closest ally in the middle east may be edging closer to war. violence intensifying overnight between israel and palestinian extremists in gaza. hamas fighters launching hundreds of rockets into israel overnight with the israelis shelling hundreds of terror targets with artillery strikes. three israelis and 19 palestinians have been killed. a parade honoring veterans goes horribly wrong. this is in midland, texas. at least four people were killed

when a train slammed into a float packed with veterans and their spouses. this all happened yesterday. more than a dozen other people were rushed to the hospital. and in less than an hour, former cia director david petraeus is expected to testify behind closed doors about the deadly raid on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. he's expected to tell members of the house and senate intelligence committees that he knew almost immediately the attack was the work of loosely formed militia with members sympathetic to al qaeda. he's also expected to say he had no direct involvement in the talking points used by u.n. ambassador susan rice in the days after the attack. talks on the looming fiscal cliff begin this morning at the white house. president obama has invited the four top leaders in congress, john boehner, nancy pelosi, harry reid and mitch mcconnell to try and strike a deal to protect the economy. texas congressman ron paul gives what is likely his final speech in front of congress. in a 4-minute speech the

republican libertarian slammed both parties saying they're leading the country in the wrong direction. >> the financial crisis is actually a moral crisis. many are acknowledging that a financial crisis looms but few understand it's in reality a moral crisis. it's the moral crisis that has allowed our liberties to be undermined and permits the exponential growth of illegal government power. >> congressman paul is stepping down from his seat in congress at the end of the year. thanksgiving travel around the corner. who will see the worst of the weather? meteorologist alexandra steele joins us now from atlanta. >> hi. or the best of it. actually, pretty benign weather around the country, so some great travel conditions. there's one calf yet and that's the west coast. good morning, everyone. hope you're waking up to a good friday. around the dealtway in washington, pretty dry. but outside that, around richmond, virginia, a few rain showers. through the delmarva, as well.

on the whole this will all dissipate and really end up a pretty sunny day. on the west coast this is just kind of the beginning. a barrage of storms from washington to california coming in for the next few days include that very important wednesday, thursday, friday of next week, again. here's the future cast taking you through the three next days. all the way from the siskiyous to the sierra. heavy mountain snow, a lot of rain at the valleys and really, really rough travel conditions. so that's going to be the only kind of caveat in the country, in terms of planning ahead for the next couple of days. big picture today, we're dry in the northeast, and into philadelphia and new york, boston, dry, sunny skies. a few degrees below average. southeast similar scenario. of course, there's the west. so that's where those storms beginning to come in. but pretty quiet. temperaturewise, maybe just a few degrees below average. chicago 53, in the 40s in the twin cities. today, but, tonight, late tonight, big celestial sky sighting if nur into that. leon id meteor shower.

around 2:00 tomorrow morning, look up into the sky, guys, toward the cancellation leo, that's where it looks like this is emanating from, and we also have a new moon so the skies are pretty dark. so pretty good conditions for a lot of the country. see some meteors coming at you tonight. >> all right. thank you. >> okay. meet you out there. >> get your kids up at 2:00 in the morning for that. >> oh, sure. >> christine romans has today's best advice coming up. the wheels of progress haven't been very active lately. but because of business people like you, things are beginning to get rolling. and regions is here to help. making it easier with the expertise and service to keep those wheels turning. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. till you finish your vegetables. [ clock ticking ]

[ male announcer ] there's a better way... v8 v-fusion. vegetable nutrition they need, fruit taste they love. could've had a v8. or...try kids boxes! could've had a v8. a hybrid? most are just no fun to drive. now, here's one that will make you feel alive. meet the five-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max says ha. c-max says wheeee. which is what you get, don't you see? cause c-max has lots more horsepower than prius v, a hybrid that c-max also bests in mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid.

that was me... the day i learned i had to start insulin for my type 2 diabetes. me... thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used. and me... discovering once-daily levemir® flexpen. flexpen® is prefilled. doesn't need refrigeration for up to 42 days. no drawing from a vial. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. flexpen® is insulin delivery... my way. levemir® (insulin detemir [rdna origin] injection) is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes and is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life threatening. ask your healthcare provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. other possible side effects include

injection site reactions. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions, such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. with flexpen®... say good night to vial and syringe. ask your doctor about levemir® flexpen. covered by 90% of insurance plans, including medicare. find your co-pay at myflexpen.com. at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. as always we wrap it up with best advise. >> twihards listen up this morning's best advice. >> i think some of the most

important advice maybe actually sounds strange coming from an actress is to be yourself. and that that's the only -- your authentic self is really the only thing that's interesting, and it's the only real worthwhile way to spend your time, i think. the only way to move forward in your life is to sort of know yourself, and to live up. >> be yourself except when you're being paid to be someone else. >> my advice to you, have a great vacation. >> oh, thank you, i will. i will be my authentic self on vacation. >> sure. >> he's been teasing me all morning. >> that's all for "early start." >> and that's john's authentic self. "starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. morning, welcome, everybody. our "starting point" this morning, the brink of war. shells pounding israel, war missiles, more troops on the 3406. we're live in the middle east with a region on the brink of a full-scale